House, Senate Act to Protect Civilians in Darfur - April 7, 2006
Quaker Lobby Welcomes Efforts to Stop Genocide
This week, both the Senate and the House took important steps toward protecting civilians and promoting a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis in Darfur, the Friends Committee on National Legislation said today.
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted on Tuesday to increase emergency funding for the African Union peacekeepers in Sudan. An amendment offered by Sens. Durbin (IL) and Leahy (VT) added $50 million to the fiscal year 2006 emergency supplemental appropriations bill to fund African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, increasing the president’s February request to a total of $173 million. The House approved a similar measure on March 16.
The House also passed the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (HR 3127) with overwhelming support on April 5 by a vote of 416 - 3. The bill authorizes additional assistance to the African Union mission in Sudan to better protect civilians; imposes focused sanctions on individuals responsible for atrocities in Darfur; and supports peace negotiations to resolve the conflict. The Senate passed similar legislation on November 18, 2005. The House and Senate will now meet to work out differences between the two bills.
Security conditions in Darfur continue to decline, and civilians continue to bear the brunt of the ongoing crisis.
“These actions in the House and Senate show that there is widespread support in Congress for preventing genocide and protecting civilians,” said Executive Secretary Joe Volk. “Congress showed this week that labeling the situation in Darfur genocide, as they did in July 2004, was only a first step. While the situation remains dire and much more must be done, the addition of $173 million for peacekeeping and the passage of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act are steps in the right direction.”
For more information, read the FCNL Recommendations for U.S. Policy in Sudan.
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The Friends Committee on National Legislation is a non- partisan Quaker lobby in the public interest that represents 26 Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends (called Quakers). FCNL speaks for itself and like-minded individuals. Working with a network of constituents in every congressional district in the United States, FCNL seeks to bring the concerns, experiences and testimonies of Friends to bear on national policy decisions. For more information: http://www.fcnl.org
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